Macdeath

by Cindy Brown

Agatha Award nominee! Like every actor, Ivy Meadows knows Macbeth is cursed. But she's finally scored her big break, cast as an acrobatic witch in a circus-themed production of the Scottish play in Phoenix, Arizona. And though it may not be Broadway, nothing can dampen her enthusiasm—not her flying cauldron, too-tight leotard, or carrot-wielding dictator of a director.

 

But when her friend and fellow cast member dies on opening night, Ivy is sure the seeming accident is "murder most foul" and that she's the perfect person to solve the crime (after all, she does work part-time in her uncle's detective agency). Undeterred by a poisoned Big Gulp, the threat of being blackballed, and the suddenly too-real curse of Macbeth, Ivy pursues the truth at the risk of her hard-won career—and her life.

 

"A gut-splitting mystery…Combining humor and pathos can be risky in a whodunit, but gifted author Brown makes it work." Mystery Scene Magazine

 

"Who cannot have fun with a disastrous (and murderous) prodcution of Macbeth? Cindy Brown's first novel is a delicious romp with plenty of humor and suspense." Rhys Bowen, New York Times Bestselling Author

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2024

About the author

Cindy Brown has been a theater geek (musician, actor, director, producer, and playwright) since her first professional gig at age 14. Now a full-time writer, she’s lucky enough to have garnered several awards (including 3rd place in the 2013 international Words With Jam First Page Competition, judged by Sue Grafton!) and is an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop.

Though Cindy and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon, she made her home in Phoenix, Arizona, for more than 25 years and knows all the good places to hide dead bodies in both cities.

Reviews

[Allyson Dyar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be the fourth mystery I've read that centers around the Shakespeare play, "Macbeth." The Scottish play is my favorite of all of Shakespeare's works, hence my interest in reading any book centering around the play.

The story was a simple one, actress Ivy is hired to play one of the witches in an avant-garde production of the play (honestly, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this version but I would have given it a fair shake). Their alcoholic star is murdered and Ivy is thrust into trying to solve the mystery.

The characters were fairly interesting but my favorite was Ivy's private investigator uncle (she ends up working for him but it's not quite a good fit for her or him).

It wasn't a bad mystery, it isn't one that I would be interested in re-reading or perhaps reading the series of mysteries with Ivy. Having said that, if the price is right, I'm willing to give it a go.